The BGN News Archive

June 9, 2014

Blowfish drove six hours from a New Jersey shore trip last Sunday but still
had enough energy to hit the Middle East for the big hardcore show headlined
by the Cro-Mags and The Anti-Nowhere League:

There was a line a tattooed, studded and green haired punks waiting to get
in. Everyone had tickets but the place must have been sold out and it takes
time to get everyone in. Neighborhood Shit were already done by the time
I got there and I caught the end of Taxi Driver. They were getting the
crowd riled. It's obvious that this was one excited group of people and Taxi
Driver had a fun time on stage and was getting the love.

I didn't see Death Before Dishonor listed in the early posters but they
were on next. They had the full metal jacket hardcore attack that just bowls
you over. It seems to me that you can't go beyond this level of volume, power
and punch. I've heard it from several hardcore groups and it shakes you up.
Maybe part of it was the Middle East sound system and sound guy. They always
have great sound both upstairs and down. There was intense moshing and stage
diving. The lead singer encouraged some circle pits. Audience members left a
big area in front of the stage expecting this.

Death Before Dishonor are all very serious. No laughs during
this set which is different from the Anti-Nowhere League that follows.
The League have lots of laughs in the between song chatter and the songs are
over the top scatological diatribes done tongue-in-cheek. Animal is the
lead singer and maybe the only original band member. He's a funny figure. He's
all punked up but is well groomed with a trimmed beard and has a gentlemanly
way about him as he jokes with his British accent. He actually bows after a
song, even though the song was laced with fuck this and fuck that. They do lots
from the first album: We Are The League, Woman, Can't Stand Rock 'N' Roll,
(We Will Not) Remember You, Streets of London, Nowhere Man, and my favorite
I Hate People and then their anthem - So What. That's a great
run of songs.

There was all sorts of joyful crowd surfing during this. The packed club was
with them at every point. I was up front and it was a vortex of energy. I walked
to the back and you could focus on the actual music a bit more.

I wanted to stay for the Cro Mags but my six hours
of driving was catching up with me. I can't imagine the scene up front when
they came on.

In other news:

TheLet's Go To The Rat movie can now be watched
in an ''on demand' format. on Realeyz....click
here to go there.......and the Howl Mag website has a informative write
up on Andy and the film- read
it here......Miss Lyn attended the public premier of the film this
past Saturday in Lowell at The Luna Theater in Mill #5. What
a great place this theater is...rows of huge upholstered chairs and footrests
line the graded theater. What a nice comfortable way to watch a film!! And it
was free. For me personally it more enjoyable to watch any film on the big screen,
and this was really true of this film. It was a fun ride listening to David
Minehan, Willie Alexander and Bob Colby and Eric Van reminisce about
the glory days there. Also in the film is of course, Jim Harold and Granny
the sound man as well as the lead singer for Big Catholic Guilt, Linda
Viens, Liz Borden, Billy Connors, Carl Biancucci, and others. It's a walk
down memory lane with descriptions of insane nights, the filth, the love, the
good times and the bad . It's worth a watch if you ever went to the beloved
Rat in Kenmore Square.

And here's another film Massachusetts Hardcore by
Corey Bouchard is a 16 minute documentary style film and a "student project
on the Massachusetts hardcore scene and what it means to the people involved"....it
covers Central and Western MA as well as the South Shore and North Shore. Watch
it here.

In other news: Fights broke out at The Adicts show
at the Brighton Music Hall the other week. It's talked about
on the Dying
Scene site from what we heard people to the right of the stage were throwing
bottles and cans at the band!! WTF people?? How freaking rude!! It's one thing
to spit beer its another throw shit at the band. We even got emails about it
and one of our readers Mike C put it best when he said: "It
was my first time seeing The Adicts and I was disappointed that a Boston crowd
would act like that and disrespect a renowned band like The Adicts. Well
be lucky of they ever play here again." So thanks to the twits that
started the stupid behavior!

Some of you may have heard of, or even seen, Moondog
a character in NYC who looked like a Viking and stood stone still at the corner
of Sixth Avenue and 54th Street. Turned out he was a serious composer and put
out some amazing LP's in his day. There is a Kickstarter
campaign to help fund the film The
Viking of Sixth Avenue. Help 'em out if you've ever had the pleasure of
seeing Moondog.

For you folks on the cape some sad new - Mill Hill Club located at 164
Route 28 in West Yarmouth will be torn down. Though a disco club for a long
time it also had a lot of New Wave and post punk bands from Boston there...The
Neighborhoods, Lou Miami etc ...there will soon be a new multi-million dollar
Healthcare Facility sitting on the plot of land that has a lot of musical memories
for Cape rock and rollers....sigh...its not just Boston that's losing clubs
huh?

And here's some shows coming up:

Thursday June 12th at Church is a Boston Hassle sponsored
event with some low key noise bands Ed Schrader's Music Beat presents The
Abominable Skimask, Gondoliers, (New England) Patriots

This Friday June 13th - My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult along
with Gene Dante and The Future Starlets, Vishno, and DJ Toxic Rainbow
at The Middle East - Downstairs

Gizmos World Tour ...Thurs-Sat,
June 12, 13 & 14.....Here's their Kickstarter
page (they could still use some $$ folks)....this Gizmos is the original
Gizmos plus some guests: Kenne Highland, Eddie Flowers, Ted Niemiec
and Rich Coffee with Max Demata on bass from Sonic Daze, John
Terrill on drums from Dancing Cigarettes and Ian Brewer guitar
from the Panics....
Thursday June
12 at The Bishop (Bloomington, IN) its the very first Gizmos reunion
gig with Indiana Scuzz Punk bands: Apache Dropout, Deezen, and Cowboys,
sharing the bill....
Friday June
13 at The Melody Inn (Indianapolis, IN) also on the bill: Apache Dropout,
Deezen, and Brothers Gross....
Saturday June
14th at Blind Bob's Bar (Dayton, OH) also on the bill: New Regrets, The
Give-Ups,Apache Dropout, and Deezen.....

Before the show though have a listen to Brian
Young and his Crash Course for the Ravers Show on WMFO 91.5FM coz he's having
the folks from the punksploitation film An
Ungovernable Force on his show. And they will be playing the music from
the film ....awesome stuff from bands we love like: The Members, The 4 Skins,
The Nervous Eaters, New York Dolls, The Boys, The Nerves, Pointed Sticks, The
Jam, Cockney Rejects, The Real Kids, D.R.I., Slaughter & The Dogs, The Freeze,
Reagan Youth, The Dead Boys, Poison Girls, Sham 69, The Vibrators, Middle Class,
X-Ray Specs, Discharge, Flesh Eaters, and more to come...that's 1-4PM this Saturday
6/14....

June 14th there's also Surf
and Turf at the Midway...no not steak and lobster! It's a surf show with
Dustclouds of Mars, Matt Heaton & The Electric Heaters, Trusty Sidekick,
Tsunami of Sound!!!

see more Church gigs....June 20thThe Welsh Boys, Sprained
Ankles, Guns of Brighton and The Blue Bloods.

Also on Friday, June 20thTriple Thick celebrates 15 Years
of Triple Thick at The Plough and Stars!! Well we're happy they are
still around. So Triple Thick and The Monsieurs will be playing.

Also on Friday the 20th is a great show at TT's with Reverse,
White Dynomite, Gymnasium and Devil on Horseback.

Saturday June 21st Muck & The Mires are at The Plough.

Also on June 21st at The Midway there's a special Roy Sludge
Revue (featuring Frankie Blandino, Lyle Brewer, Stan The Man
Kozlowski, and Johnny Sciascia!!!) , Eric Royers One Man
Band along with Easy Eds Record Hop.

At The Tavern at the End of the World there's a "welcome Back party"
for Michelle Johnson-Kish on the bill will be Rockin' Bob kicking things
off followed by Dots on Dice, The Dirty Truckers and Jay Allen and
The Archcriminals

Thee Legendary Prophets who put on a crazy show have a gig at TT's
on June 22 Sunday.

Down the Cape on Sunday 6/22 The Beachcombovers will be at the Arts Alive Festival in Falmouth at 4 PM, 300 Main Street

Ken Scales says : Adventure Set will be at Bill's Bar
on Thursday June 26TH....with very special guests Casey Desmond
& Cemetery Girl also....Adventure Set's new 4 song EP "GAZEBO"
will be out in June 2014.

Always promising an interesting experience Walter Sickert & the Army
of Broken Toys (12AM) are at TT's along with Parlour Bells,
Muy Cansado and Future Carnivores on Friday June 27th

Next Drunk Nuns gig.....Cantab
6/28 its a cool night with not only the Drunk Nuns but also Psychic
Dog, The Dead Trains, and The Evil Streaks...and Dave Tree
from SweeTreet
Ink will be selling cool stuff from his shop.

July 15th has FuzzStompin' GarageSoul with Thee Legendary Rockin'
Prophets at O'Brien's.

Friday July 25th has a great show at Great Scott's with Razors
In The Night (Record Release Party! & we're happy to see they are out
and about again!), Panzerbastard, The Blue Bloods, and Taxi Driver

And here's some big news Terry Brenner's bringing The Real Kids and
Nervous Eaters and Greg Allen's Fringe Religion to The Spotlight
Tavern in Beverly on August 2, that's a Saturday night !!! Thank
you Terry!!

It's Hixxmas in August folks! On August 23rd at Club Bohemia
at The Cantab it's Hixx and Psychic Dog and more bands TBA...

This should be an interesting evening...at The Cantab August 30th....The
Sound Down Cellar, Nelson Slater (tentative), Annie Activator and
the once a year gig by Love & Flame featuring Danny Rybar, Lady
Carolyn and Joe Viglione along with Mike Quirk on bass, Kenne
Highland on guitar. (they are on at 9:30) and The Guns of Brighton

We finally get to see Dave Minehan with The Replacements since
they are on the bill for the Boston
Calling Show in September (5,6 & 7) later this year!

Saturday September 13th is Matt Burns' 60th Birthday Party! He's
celebrating at The Lizard Lounge. So far the bill includes Litehouse,
The Handymen, Kenne Highland, and more bands to come.....

There's also a excellent show at The Midway on Sept 13. Cal Cali
brings us Lyres-Nervous Eaters-Cal Cali Band- The Invaders (Les
Envahisseurs-from Quebec) - whew!!!

The 2nd Annual Rat Beach Party is already well in the planning stages...its
set for September 14th& 15th and here's a list of bands so far: Saturday
night- Red Parrot Beach Bar starting at 7PM: Hardwired -- Heavy Weddle & Sweet
Release -- Severance (or Band To Be Announced) -- JetSet -- Billy Rath & The
Street Pirates -- Open Jam to close